events

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Rioja Buzz

May 2, 2012 in Food, wine by traveleatlove | 6 comments

Wine Wednesday came a little early this week when I was asked to participate in a Tweet Chat on all things Rioja. I invited our friends over for Sunday night dinner, spent the day cleaning and making up some appetizers, and when it was time to chat, broke out the iPad for a little #RiojaBuzz. We were joined by the winemakers from the respective wineries and were able to ask questions of them. The chat was fast-moving but interesting, and we all enjoyed the wines.

The Rioja, divided into three sub-regions, Alta, Alavesa, and Baja, all which have, as I learned on the chat have different seasons as far as harvest goes. I was .sent two different wines to taste (There were three, but I never received the third.) Both the wines were classified Crianza which means they were aged for at least two years, once of which has to be in oak. The first wine we tasted was the Ontañon Rioja Crianza 2008 which was a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha. Half our group liked the smokiness and spice of this wine. I could really taste the oak, but not in a bad way at all. It was balanced and had some nice fruit flavors.

I absolutely loved the second wine, the Conde de Valdemar Rioja Crianza 2007. A blend of Tempranillo and Mazuelo (Carignan). It also had a bit of smokiness, dried leaves, spice, and fruit. Someone on the Tweet Chat pointed out that Rioja wines are mysterious, and they kind of have that quality. They’re also a great value. The Conde de Valdemar retails for around $11.

What do you pair with Rioja? I didn’t have much experience, so I just went with what I felt like making and what was easy to put out for a Sunday. One of our guests is a trained chef and the best hostess I know, so as always, I was a little nervous!

On the menu:

Sliced goat cheddar

Sliced sharp cheddar (I wanted to get Manchego but Roche Brothers had a terrible cheese selection.)

Stonewall Kitchen Hot Pepper Jelly over baked brie (I didn’t do a puff pastry wrap, just baked a wedge of brie topped with jam at 350 for about 15 minutes until nice and gooey.)

Spicy turkey meatballs (store bought meatballs in a homemade spicy marinara, super easy)

Baguette slices and lots of different crackers

Amazing homemade calamari and sauce made by our friends

Lots of wine. Too much wine for a Sunday, but it made for a very fun and delicious evening.

We ate and drank wine until 10:00 which is definitely wild and crazy for a Sunday night. Sometimes it just has to be done.

My work week is crazy this week. I am basically jumping between 4-5 jobs every day all day and commuting into Boston for half days, then coming home at 6 and finishing the rest of my work. And I am determined to get in shape for summer, so there’s that. I have a bunch of way overdue doctor’s appointments scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, so I took a few hours off. I am actually looking forward to sitting in the waiting room and reading.

Do you watch Mad Men? I am finding this season boring, but lots of people on Twitter disagreed with me on Monday. I just can’t seem to get into it.

Technorati Tags: blogger events, events, Food, Rioja, Twitter, wine

Tags: blogger events, events, Food, Rioja, Twitter, wine

So Much Chocolate

April 27, 2012 in events, Food by traveleatlove | 12 comments

Chocolate Madness 2012 was an event that I will not soon forget. It was full of sweet delights, delicious appetizers, fun with friends, and all for a good cause. Chocolate Madness is an event that raises money for NARAL Pro Choice Massachusetts and helps NARAL to further its mission of being able to develop and sustain a grassroots constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices.

The event was held at the Cyclorama in the South End, an impressive space that has held a variety of events including Taste of the South End and Wine Riot.

I arrived early, per usual, checked in as a judge and was soon joined by Daisy, Rachel, and Elizabeth for the opening reception.

The reception appetizers were incredible. I was hungry, and Choice Catering put out a beautiful spread. There were little tartlets filled with cheese, pepper, and olives, cucumbers topped with hummus, shrimp salad wraps, chicken skewers and several other options. I am not kidding; I parked myself at that table.

Although I was invited to be a judge of the chocolate, I have to admit that I would take tuna tartare over a cupcake pretty much any day, any time. These gorgeous Caprese skewers were also a hit. I made something similar for my husband’s birthday last year, and they were a crowd pleaser, not to mention so easy.

This food was seriously good. Can you tell I liked it?

After the reception, it was time to do our duty as judges. I was at the Heavenly Homemade and Sublimely Sweet table.

Initially, I only saw the judging sheet for four items. I could do this, piece of cake. Winking smile

I liked my first bite (which ended up being a chocolate peanut butter roulade from Amanda’s Cakes and Things) so much that I ate the whole thing. It was a few bites in that I realized we had an additional four items to judge. Still, the roulade was amazing, especially the frosting, and it was worth being a little full for the rest of the judging.

My other favorite desserts included a peanut butter chocolate fudge brownie from Butter Girl Baking Co. and the chocolate carrot cupcake from Cares Bakery. What a fun combination!

In addition to the category we were judging, we also got to wander the event and taste some of the other amazing treats. Honestly, I was pretty full after judging, but I enjoyed looking at all of the creativity and deliciousness in the room.

And I nabbed one of these chocolate mousse parfaits from Union to go. It was divine.

I loved getting to see Robin from Doves and Figs. She makes great jam and here incorporated it into cupcakes.

I heard that over 600 chocolate lovers eventually attended the event. That’s a lot of chocolate and a lot of support for women’s rights which is pretty sweet.

And now I sign off for the weekend. It will be great to unplug a little, that’s for sure. We have some boat cleaning and waxing to do in preparation for the big launch back into the ocean, and I might try to get a massage. Mostly, I just don’t want to spend the weekend in front of a computer, iPad, phone, or anything else that connects me to the world. I need a break!

Have a great weekend!

Technorati Tags: Boston, cake, charity, chocolate, dessert, events, Restaurants

Tags: Boston, cake, charity, chocolate, dessert, events, Restaurants

Wine Road Barrel Tasting

April 24, 2012 in Tasting Room Series, Travel, wine by traveleatlove | 5 comments

One of the main reasons we chose to go to Sonoma when we did was the Wine Road Barrel Tasting event. I’ve had the Wine Road’s beautiful ad on my blog since September, and since the area truly is heaven condensed and their events are so much fun, I wanted to be there. Wondering what barrel tasting is? Well, it’s tasting unfinished wine out of the barrel. It’s pretty neat to see a winemaker or other winery staff member using a pipette to pull wine from the top of the barrel and to put it into your glass. I can picture myself doing so and spraying it all over some poor guest, but that has not yet happened to us as tasters. Barrel tasting gives you the opportunity to buy futures, to purchase wine before it’s bottled, often at a discount, and then receive it when it is ready. In the past we have done this, and it’s always fun to receive wine that you tasted in the barrel months later.

As you know, we kicked off our trip with a little Gloria Ferrer and art and spent the second day sipping bubbly and visiting Ma(i)sonry. After a Saturday night dinner with friends, we awoke rested and ready to participate in the last day of barrel tasting. First up, breakfast at the hotel, coffee, hardboiled eggs, and yogurt. I love free breakfast!

We were in vacation-land, which is far from my normal “plan every second” mentality, so we actually had no itinerary in mind as we left Sonoma and headed for Santa Rosa to Sonoma Vintner’s Square, a place that houses some of our favorite wine in all of Sonoma and Napa. You may remember we spent a bit of time there during the Food & Wine Affair. We probably never would have found this somewhat hidden gem if it was not for our fabulous host William, but we have returned to these tasting rooms, I think, a total of six times. The complex has been growing over the years, and it’s fun that every time we visit, they’ve done more work, added a new business, or somehow made the space better.

I love this wine bottle wall.

Vintner’s Square features a bunch of amazing tasting rooms, including Sheldon, D’Argenzio, and Krutz Family Cellars. Great wines and great people are here, and if you head to Sonoma County, you should definitely make a point of spending some time with them.

Sheldon’s Vinolocity Blanc is definitely at the top of my list of favorite white wines. This blend of Grenache Blanc, Rousanne, and Viognier is positively luscious. As I type this, I am drinking a smoky, lightly spiced Krutz Syrah.

D’Argenzio makes some killer Zinfandel, which we got to taste from the barrel.

The folks at Sheldon were kind enough to give us a few recommendations since we wanted to visit some new places on this trip. We made our way to Inspiration and then to Carol Shelton, where we enjoyed Zinfandel and live music. These wineries are also in a complex, kind of like a corporate park. The area where the tasting rooms are is not as scenic as some, but it provides a great opportunity to try wines from a bunch of winemakers in one place.

We finished our barrel tasting at Portalupi on Healdsburg Square, loving the barrel tasting of their Pinot Noir before grabbing an iced coffee at my beloved coffee shop, The Flying Goat and heading to our hotel for a rest.

As we walked to downtown Healdsburg later that evening for dinner at Barndiva, we stumbled upon another recommendation from the Sheldons, Cartograph, close to Healdsburg Plaza. Luckily, unlike other tasting rooms, Cartograph is open a little late, and we were able to taste their wines along with wines from Stark, a winery they share their serene, cool tasting room with.

After barrel tasting lots of reds, I was all about the whites, particularly the Cartograph Gewurztraminer and the Stark Viognier.

Cartograph owner/winemakers Alan and Serena were warm, welcoming, and a lot of fun. If we didn’t have dinner reservations, we probably would have grabbed a glass and stayed.

If you are looking for a great wine country event, the Wine Road hosts a bunch, and it is worth planning a visit to Sonoma around one of them. And if you are looking for something a little different and less touristy, the abovementioned wineries and tasting rooms all have a great story, delicious, interesting wines, and great spaces. I would recommend them all!

It’s only been about six weeks since our trip, and I feel like I haven’t been anywhere in ages (dramatic). I am ready to start planning more travel, but luckily I have too much work right now. Winking smile